Eclairs or Profiteroles (Cream Puffs) that will wow even the most picky house-guest

Ingredients:

Part 1: Pastry Cream! (this will make about 1.5 cup of Pastry filling!) Equipment needed: Saucepan (preferably thicker bottomed), bowl for egg mixture, extra bowl, wire whisk. Ingredients (I will convert these to grams and milliliters for my non-american friends within the next week or so):

When milk boils take off heat and pour 2/3 of it into bowl (it's ok if you just eyeball this!).

With the remaining 1/3 take your wire whisk and while DRIZZLING the egg mixture slowly into the milk (and I mean DRIZZLE SLOWLY!!!) WHISK IT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT (just make sure that you don't slosh it over the sides ) Do this until all egg mixture is incorporated into the milk.

While whisking more sanely, return the 2/3 milk from the bowl to the saucepan.

Turn the stove back on to medium heat and stir (with the whisk) constantly.

Mixture will begin to thicken.

Once this begins you are almost there!

Thicken to the point where if you lift out some and let it run back into the pot is will leave a little pile or trail (somewhat like you would imaging thick pudding looking like).

When very thick, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract (if you are using it).

Then whisk in your clarified butter, thoroughly blending it.

The mixture should be pasty (you know you want to taste it before it even cools! go ahead! I didn't see a thing! )

Chill (NOT in freezer!) and cover and set in refrigerator.Note: The reason why you need to be careful with combining the egg mixture with the milk is that, trust me, you do NOT want scrambled eggs in your pastry filling!)PART 2: Eclair Paste/Dough (Pate a Choux)Directions: PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 FAHRENHEIT

On high heat in a saucepan bring the water, salt, and butter to a boil.

Stir a touch so that the butter is scattered throughout the water evenly (little oil droplets throughout)

while stirring with spoon, add flour a bit at a time and keep stirring.

Once all the flour is incorporated, keep stirring and smearing the dough against the side until is is a dryer ball that no longer sticks to the side (within 1 minute or so).

Take it off the heat.

Wait roughly a minute and then take the whisk and add A TOUCH of the egg, whisking thoroughly until the dough reforms and then add a bit more egg, whisk again, egg, whisk... until all is incorporated.

Whisk until it forms an even sticky paste.

Put the wax paper on the baking sheet. Do NOT grease!

Take a spoon and drop a ball roughly the size of a golf ball on the wax paper.

Leave 1- 1/2 inches between each ball. If you want eclairs, instead of a ball, drop it in a 1' X 3' logs.

Stick in your preheated (350 DGR) oven.

Set timer for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes raise temp to 375 Dgr and bake another 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool AT ROOM TEMP!! Do NOT attempt to rapidly cool in fridge, freezer, outdoors, etc or it runs an extremely high risk of collapsing on you! (these are COMPLETELY hollow in the center!)PART 3: Chocolate Glaze for Pastry Topping!Directions:

In saucepan over Medium-Low heat melt chocolate and Clarified Butter together until completely melted. Add syrup and stir well.

Set aside because this needs to cool slightly so as to thicken a bit and not be runny.FOR TEACHERS AND THOSE WHO WISH TO USE CAROB! Please check back. I must experiment with a carob glaze!Part 4: Constructing your pastryEquipment: Spoon or spatula, Skewer or other sharp-tipped utensil, Pastry bag with small tip, OR Wax paper rolled up into a cone shape like this (it's a video on how to make a pastry bag)Directions:

After your pastry bag is filled with the Pastry Cream you made(see video), pick up your skewer and poke a small hole in the side of your puff or end of the eclair just big enough to fit the tip of the pastry bag.

Take your pastry bag and while holding your pastry, insert the tip into the hole and squeeze the filling into the cavity until filled.

Fill the next pastry, then the next until you are through.

By now your chocolate glaze should have thickened slightly to the CONSISTENCY OF HOT FUDGE TOPPING so now you are going to gently hold your filled pastry and gently dip the top of it in the chocolate.

Rock the pastry gently in the chocolate so that you get a thorough glaze consistency on it.

Set that pastry down on a baking sheet, platter or plate.

Do the next until complete.

When finished do NOT cover pastries, but set them UNcovered in the refrigerator until chilled and topping has set. BEST IF SERVED within 24 hours although they can hold longer.